Delicious for lunch, dinner or even alongside your Thanksgiving meal, this Roasted Autumn Harvest Salad is full of everyone’s favorite fall flavors, roasted to enhance sweetness and topped with tangy, salty bits of blue cheese.
Gluten Free | Vegetarian |Vegan Options
The change of seasons is so exciting. By the time it rolls around, I’m so ready for new ingredients, new flavors and different methods of cooking. With cooler air, we are grilling less and breaking out those heavy pots. But salads…I still need my salads, no matter what the season. Adding roasted ingredients into your salads automatically makes them feel like fall. This one is packed with some of my favorite fall flavors.
Roasting always brings out the sweetness in foods. These pears and butternut squash are no exception. The longer you roast them, the more caramelized they get and really, they become so much tastier. I love roasting batches of things like this, storing them in glass containers in the fridge and adding them to our morning oatmeal (roasted pears with maple on oatmeal is heaven), on salads like this, or use them to top off a yummy grain bowl for lunches or dinner.
I took my roasting game a little farther this time, adding fresh cranberries to the mix. Their tart brightness is exactly what this salad needs. As much as I love those packaged sweet little nuggets of craisins, their sugary bite is a bit too much. And, truly, after roasting these fresh cranberries with just a bit of sugar…oh my goodness…these come out perfectly tart, sweet and tasting like…well, cranberry. I hope you give them a try! But really, this is a no judgement zone…grab a handful of craisins if you’ve got them.
The dressing for this salad is one that is almost always in our fridge. It’s my Superfood Vinaigrette, made with apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, chia seeds and pure maple…or honey, your choice. It’s one of those dressings that works really well with most salads. I love it with this one with its slight sweetness.
Roasted Autumn Harvest Salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium pears sliced and cored
- 1 small butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1/3 cup pecans either candied or roasted
- 1/3 cup pepitas or roasted pumpkin seeds
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbled (omit to keep this vegan)
- Superfood Vinaigrette find link below
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- On a baking sheet add your pear slices, butternut squash and cranberries, keeping them separate. Brush a bit of avocado oil lightly on the pear slices, drizzle the remaining on the butternut squash and cranberries. Toss the squash and cranberries to coat them. Sprinkle a bit of kosher salt on the squash. Then, sprinkle the sugar on the cranberries.
- Roast in the oven. The cranberries will be done in about 10 minutes. Remove them and place them on a dish to cool. Return the pan to the oven and continue roasting for another 10 minutes. The pears should be done at this point. Remove them, placing them on a dish to cool. Roast the squash for just another 10 minutes or until done to your likeness. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet.
- To arrange the salad, spread about 1 to 2 cups of mixed greens on a plate. Top with the pears and squash. Sprinkle on the cranberries, blue cheese and the pepitas. Top with the vinaigrette just before serving.
Notes
Dress this salad with…
Superfood Vinaigrette
You’ll also love…
Baby Arugula Butternut Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Red Cabbage and Brussels Sprouts Slaw
Five-Spice Roasted Butternut Squash
Dinner
Vegetable Paella
Mushroom Miso Gravy over Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
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This salad is gorgeous. You presented it so beautifully. And you know I’m always a fan of your vinaigrettes!
You’re so kind, Mimi…I hope you love this one, too! xo
This is GORGEOUS! Prettier than any fall salad I’ve gotten at a restaurant, that’s for sure.
Ahhh…you are so sweet, Joanne! Thank you! xo